Pathways to success: How university students become student leaders.

摘要

Research on student leaders at universities has ignored the question of why they become involved and what impact this involvement has on their university experience. Using Astin's Involvement Theory as a conceptual framework, this study focused on the psychological and behavioral aspects of the path to involvement, by asking the following five research questions: What were the students' paths to organized involvement? Why or how did the student become a leader? What was their understanding of leadership? How has this involvement and leadership contributed to and detracted from their university experiences, socially and academically? How do these student leaders compare to those students who were members of a recognized student organization but were not in a leadership position and those students who were not involved? Using a qualitative design, 12 current students from three separate groups: members of a recognized student organization in a formal leadership position, members of a recognized student organization who were not in a formal leadership position, and students who were not involved in recognized student organizations were interviewed. Using a constant comparative analysis, a theory about how and why university students become involved in a recognized student organization and how and why they become leaders was developed. Results indicate that while a student's background are good indicators of future involvement in college, each of the student leaders and student organizational members mentioned a key event or flashpoint that significantly contributed to their joining a student organization. A developmental model of student involvement and student development, consistent with Astin's Involvement Theory was developed.